December 30, 2019

So Christmas was 5 days ago and places are still playing Christmas music. Is that the same back home? Also it's actually pretty cold now. Like 7 degrees Celsius but the wind is like ice. So yeah I'm waiting for saldi to get a nice jacket.

I'm learning guitar finally so my fingertips are badly calloused.

Domenico came to church and loved it so I just hope he'll want to go when I'm gone. He didn't even go to my ward so that's a good sign. We do have other potentials to teach right now but nothing too solid because of the holidays.

But yeah nothing much else to say. We had an old guy (91) come up to us in the store today. Since I can understand people better i could tell he was swearing like a sailor and telling us what old age does to your body. Some old people here can be pretty vulgar.

On that note! Personal revelation is super important everyone. Seriously, if you can't say you know how to pray and receive guidance from the Lord you should consider devoting some time to figure out how you personally receive revelation. Everyone is different but the need for it is consistent. Buona giornata tutti! Vi voglio bene.

December 25th, 2019

Merry Christmas!! Buon natale! Auguri!

Thank you everyone for all of the love and support. This email will be short but the message is important. Family is the greatest part of the Hollidays but they should be the center of everything year round. 

So hug your loved ones and sing a Christmas song for crying out loud! Haha

December 16, 2019

So I finally changed my phone to Italian and can actually get around on it. That's a big win for me haha.

We made a lasagna and to combat the pasta sheets sticking together we tied strings all around the kitchen. I said "Italian Christmases be like..." I'm also sure that that joke is very old now haha. 

Italians go crazy for nativities and construct their own as big and complicated as possible. I sent a picture of one at a member's house.

Our investigator Domenico bought me a guitar for Christmas after I asked to borrow one for a talent show. So I have a guitar now and am teaching myself how to play again haha. We went fishing today for pday and I caught a little fish and played a lot of guitar by the ocean which was really nice.

So yeah.... I'm staying in Statte for at least the next 7 weeks so I'll gave Christmas and new years here. It also means I still get to play guitar at the ward Talent show. I hope nobody knows how to play so I look decent. But yeah. Life as usual and the language is always better. Thank you to everyone who reads these! Vi voglio bene! Ci sentiamo! 

December 9, 2019

Life out here is feeling pretty normal now. Like it's just life and I go to work every day and have Mondays off. But only most of Monday lol. Life back home is like a distant memory at this point. Missions are weird man haha.

We're currently heading to Bari to play soccer with the whole Puglia zone. Before we play tho we're gonna check stores for any saldi sales that have started. 

We had a delayed Thanksgiving party and like 50 people came. We cooked so much food for this thing.

I'm trying to keep working out but it's honestly hard haha. I'll just grind right before I come home. 

So basically after 4 months I can finally talk to and understand everyone most of the time. I'm trying to become actually fluent like I don't have to think much while I talk. It's crazy to see how the gift of tongues works because I've met people who've lived here for like 8 years and barely understand SOME of what people say. Others get nothing and can only say ciao and grazie. I know that I wasn't any good in Spanish class either so this is honestly insane.

So even if I leave before Christmas I'll be able to go the the ward Christmas parties so that's cool. I think I miss the special Sunday though. 

Anyways that's it for now. Vi voglio bene! Ciao! 

December 2, 2019

So president sent out an email saying that we should expect to be in an area for like 6-8 months with one companion. If that's true I might be here to the end of January haha.

On another note. Thanksgiving was kinda not a thing, but the next day us and the other Anziani did our own. I'll get the pictures out as soon as possible. This Friday we're doing a big party for Thanksgiving with anyone we can invite. I'm hoping it goes well haha, italians will hear about an American holiday party and get pretty excited. Apparently they teach kids in school about Thanksgiving lol. 

I had a pesto lasagna yesterday and it was amazing Haha. I might have to ask Domenico's wife to teach me how to cook lol. 

I realize these emails aren't actually very exciting lol so I guess I need to add something more exciting. A guy we had an appointment with had a pellet gun thing and went outside and shot a bird . And no I'm not sure how legal that is here but I'm just a missionary. I thought olive trees were rare and that's why they're expensive. There's more olive trees here than any other type of tree. Like orchards on orchards of them. I guess it's because it takes forever for them to grow. Yeah that's definitely it. 

I love seeing the progression of my language skills of Italian and English meeting in the middle. Mi sono spiegato?

I think I'll speak itanglish because some Italian words are just better. Eventually people will just understand what I'm saying. 

I'm gonna raise my kids to speak Italian so they'll understand me. 

Ciao tutti! Vi voglio bene!

November 25, 2019

Rome was fun! We listened to Elder Sabin and his wife and they had a lot of great things to say. I got to see the temple again! It makes me want to serve in Rome so I can actually go inside.

I saw my first companion and the sister who served in Taranto and left like 5 weeks ago. Time flies here. 

I got to eat some kebab from the place every missionary raves about. It was really good so I understand why everyone loves it so much. 

Domenico is on a great path to be baptized but I don't think I'll be here long enough to do it /:

I'm also pretty sure I'm leaving Statte the week before Christmas. I'm excited to see where I'll go but if I go to a not so good area Christmas might be what me and my companion make of it haha.

Thanksgiving is not celebrated here but the missionaries planned a party with the Taranto ward that we'll be attending. 

We went fishing with a half investigator I guess you'd call him. It was fun but we only caught tiny fish. 

On the way to Rome my companion and I brought pesto pasta that we cooked before hand because the train ride was long. So for lunch on the train we had pasta and Brownies and cookies and other snacks. We were prepared. 

That's the end of my random all over the place email. If you have any questions email me! 

Vi voglio bene! 

November 18, 2019

This week was pretty cool! Transfers lasted three whole days. Basically we were dealing with getting people to their cities and helping our new missionaries in our district get to their areas. It was a long week as well haha. 

I don't know if I said this last time because it happened Monday, but if I did then here it is again haha. I was called to stay in Statte for the next 5 weeks. It's only 5 because they don't want it to end the day after Christmas. That was a huge blessing because that same night Dominico (new investigator) asked me to baptize him. He now has sense and realizes that it's actually an important decision to be baptized so he's taking the lessons. I have very high hopes for him. Also the next day at English course, a student who's like 60 something years old at least, asked us if we ever have a class with just him then we should read the book of Mormon together in English and translate it to Italian and see how we do. He straight up offered to read the book of Mormon with us! That's insane haha I was so happy and was like yeah that's a great idea! Haha. 

We have a long week ahead of us because we're all going to Rome for mission tour. Basically the guy in charge of the European missions is coming and we're all going to Rome to listen to him speak or something. Everyone but the missionaries in Sicily are going so ill see mostly everyone. That will be a 3 day long thing because of travel. 

I'm doing good here and love hearing from everyone! 

Vi voglio un mondo di bene! Yes, Italians say that.